Training Opportunities

Valuable information for volunteers, staff, board members, or anyone who is interested in understanding the culture of poverty.

Our most popular seminar is built around Dr. Ruby K. Payne’s groundbreaking book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty. Designed for educators of all stripes, but helpful to anyone who works with students or adults from poverty, the seminar puts into words what many veteran educators have experienced in their schools.

This seminar discusses how individuals in poverty think and act differently than those people in the middle and upper economic classes. Most teachers today come from middle-class backgrounds. Economic class differences, in an educational setting, often make both teaching and learning challenging. Too often, teachers don’t understand why a student from poverty is chronically acting out or is not grasping a concept even after repeated explanations. At the same time, the student doesn’t understand what he/she is expected to produce and why. Discussed at length are the social cues or "hidden rules" that govern how we think and interact in society- and the significance of those rules in a classroom.

Topics covered in the seminar include the role of language – from formal to casual registers, identifying the resources of an individual, patterns in case studies, story structure and the hidden rules in generational poverty, in middle class and in wealth.

Day One of Framework also illuminates differences between generational poverty and situational poverty. Examined are the "voices" that all of us use to project ourselves to the outside world and how poverty can affect those voices.

The seminar offers proven tools that educators can immediately use to improve the quality of instruction in their classrooms.

If you are a social service provider or a community member, this seminar will provide key information in dealing with individuals from poverty. Topics include increasing awareness of the differences in economic cultures, how those differences affect opportunities for success, developing an action plan to improve services to clients, and improving retention rates of new hires from poverty.

• Hidden rules of Class
• Role of Language- vocabulary, "street talk" vs. Standard English, narrative style
• Family Structures and gender roles
• Assess and develop and critical resources- Including financial, emotional, mental, spiritual, physical, support systems, relationship/role models
• Resolving conflicts in school, work, agencies using coping strategies that give choice, building resiliency

These workshops will:

• Equip you with fresh ways to understand and enhance communication with your clients
• Improve effectiveness of programs in literacy and life skills
• Train volunteers in building relationships

Workshops

• Basic Frameworks of Poverty
• Learning Structures- creating mental models for academic success
• Building resources, relationships and resiliency in clients

• 2-hour overview Free of Charge
• Half-day $25 (Books available for purchase)
• Full-day $50 (Books available for purchase)

Registration: Email: adkathy@aol.com

Phone: (651) 423-6152

Certified Frameworks Presenter:

•  BA Psychology & Sociology from University of Minnesota
• Lived in inner cities for many years, became interested in causes and solutions to poverty.
• Six years youth work at Crystal Evangelical Free Church
• Twenty years - Home Educator
• Eight years - State Board for Non-public Education
• Certified Trainer - Frameworks of Poverty, Bridges Out of Poverty

Framework for Understanding Poverty

With this unique understanding of poverty you will be able to train your staff and volunteers and design or improve your support and intervention programs to be more relevant, practical and successful for people trapped in poverty.